Gambling is in the palm of your hand. All day. All night. Every second. Right. Now. The UK gambling industry is worth £14.3 billion. It’s estimated that there are around 24 million people in the UK who participate in online Gambling. That is 44% of the entire adult population. Gambling addiction has the highest rate of suicide of all addictions.
Created and performed by Hannah Walker and Rosa Postlewaite, and directed by Paula Penman, Gamble starts by giving us a “glittering, glamorous peek into the spectacular world of online gambling”.
Hannah tells us the story of a girl growing up in a village where “gambling” was all about “big wins in the monthly bingo”. It’s now a decade later and the gambling industry has gone online and is BIGGER than ever! and people can gamble in the comfort of their own homes on their smart phones in their pyjamas.
The woman Hannah describes, is in a seemingly happy relationship with her partner (described as hairy man) and she is pregnant with their first child when she looks at their joint bank account. She is horrified to see her partner has withdrawn several large amounts of cash in amounts of £500 and £1000. It is at this point she realises her partner has a gambling addiction. Where a lot of people would run for the hills at this point, this woman who loves her partner decides to stick by him.
We come to understand that this bittersweet multimedia show is an autobiography of Hannah’s lived experience with her partner who is now in recovery from gambling addiction.
This play only shows one devastating story this £14.3 billion gambling industry has on normal people. It destroys lives – families, friends, and communities, while enriching that industry.
There is little regulation for this. You only have to turn the TV and have your favourite show interrupted by advertisements that encourage you to gamble. I have never really thought much about these adverts in the past because gambling of any kind has never been appealing to me in any way.
All performances across the tour will have integrated BSL interpretation, and each performance will be followed by a post-show discussion with Dr Matthew Gaskell, Clinical Lead and Consultant Psychologist for the NHS Northern Gambling Service.
Support Gamble so they can perform at Edinburgh Fringe.
